The person who will benefit the most from Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis firing head coach Josh McDaniels ahead of Week 9 might be wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. The Pro Bowl wide receiver regressed horribly under McDaniels, but now that the coach is out, Renfrow has a new lease on his football life, and he sounds pretty happy about it.
“I still have to take advantage of it,” Renfrow said of his new chance to thrive with McDaniels gone, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You only get one mulligan. But I’m excited to go out there and just be myself again.”
Renfrow also seemed excited to work under Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the rest of the 2023 season. While praising Pierce, the WR also dropped some nuggets that are hard not to read as backhanded shots at McDaniels.
“That went really well,” Renfrow said. “I think (Pierce) just let us kind of be ourselves and let our hair down. Just have fun playing football again and not just walk on eggshells everywhere. Just go out there and enjoy playing like we’re kids.”
It’s understandable that Renfrow would be happy about Mark Davis giving McDaniels the boot.
Hunter Renfrow could have a major bounce-back after Josh McDaniels' firing
In the season before the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator came to town, Renfrow made the Pro Bowl on the strength of 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns.
Last season, his numbers dropped to 36 grabs for 33 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, although some of that was due to injuries. This year, though, Renfrow is fully healthy and was playing just 38% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps. Through eight games, he had 10 catches for 92 yards and no touchdowns.
It will be fascinating — and possibly a major indictment of Josh McDaniels — if Hunter Renfrow shows up and shows out in the Raiders Week 9 tilt with the New York Giants.
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